She'd just sat down at the pool's edge, dipped her legs into the nice cool water. She let her head fall back and groaned as the water cooled off her legs. She'd just gotten relaxed when the irritating voice of Jack Manning cut through her solitude. She opened her eyes and looked up at him, scowl firmly in place. "What?"
"Where's Wheezer today?" Jack asked with a smirk as he sat down next to her, not even bothering to ask if it'd be okay. She moved away, he reminded her of all the filthy disgusting men her mom used to bring home after work when she'd lived in Nevada. "Has anyone ever told you, Jack, that you have the attitude of a rapist? I'm serious. Guys who rape girls act just like you do." she said stiffly, a hint of ice in her tone as she fixed her eyes on him and waited, smirk on her face. He glared at her and said stiffly, "My father didn't rape that woman."
"I have no idea what you're saying, doll, I was talking about you, not your daddy." Gabrielle said haughtily as she looked around for Shane, the panic rising in her. She didn't like being alone with Jack Manning. They'd had one or two run ins in the two weeks she'd been living in Llanview and attending Llanview High. She hadn't really liked either one of them, either. He was too forceful, too charming, too fake. He kept trying to flirt with her, she kept shooting him down.
Kind of like Shane shot down her more flirtatious advances. Which hurt, but she knew what he was going through and she knew that she'd have to actually stick around for him to believe that she did mean it, that she did want to get to know him better, that it wasn't all some head game.
Jack looked at her intently and then said with a smirk and wink, "Red's a pretty color on you." as he eyed her bikini clad body. She glared at him and said with a frosty tone, "And you're a creepy fucking pervert."
"Wheezer's standing you up again, huh?"
"Looks like.. But I'm a big girl, Manning.. Don't need an escort. Shoo now." Gabrielle waved Jack away distastefully as she grumbled when he didn't move and stood, dove into the pool to move as far away from him as humanly possible. She surfaced in the deep end, rubbing her eyes as she looked around the pool, which was crowded with teenagers all like her taking a dip to cool off after a long agonizing day of school.
The girl startled her and she jumped then laughed. She had a class or two with Destiny, they'd spoken now and then and she didn't know whether Destiny liked her or not, but she liked Destiny pretty well. "You're coolin down too, huh?"
"Yeah, girl, it's hot out. Noticed Jack was bothering you." Destiny mused aloud as Gabrielle nodded and briefly glared at Jack's side of the pool then muttered "He creeps me the fuck out.. He reminds me of this.. Nevermind." Gabrielle shivered as she quickly dropped the subject. Nothing she'd went through was anyone's actual business and the less people here actually knew about her, the better off she'd be. At least things that'd happened to her and she hadn't quite told her father about yet wouldn't get out and embarass the guy.
"What were you going to say?"
"It's nothing. I just knew a jerk in Nevada like him. Rich, cocky, stupid as hell.. They think they're untouchable, gods gift to women." which made Destiny laugh and nod as she said "Pretty much sums up Jack." as she caught sight of Shane walking into the pool, weaving through the crowd, obviously not entirely comfortable with being out and around so many of the other kids he went to school with, so many of them who tormented him on an almost daily basis.
"Finally he shows up. You'd think as much as he checks the stupid phone, he'd actually see an actual fucking text." Gabrielle muttered sourly as she turned to Destiny and said with a smile, (a really, really big and bright one, Destiny couldn't help but notice) "I'll be right back, girl.. Then we'll go over just what the teacher was thinking with that assignment in health."
Destiny laughed, but only partially.. She'd been feeling sick lately and she knew she and Matthew had taken things just a little too far.. Maybe she was pregnant? Either way, the irony of their 'parenting' assignment, where they were paired up with another classmate and had to 'parent' a doll that cried and required almost as much attention as an actual living child would.. It wasn't lost on her and she found herself nervous.. How would she explain this to her parents?
Gabrielle ran and jumped onto Shane's back when he wasn't expecting it as she said with a laugh "Whoa, relax.. It's only me. Thought you could use the break from being cooped up inside. It's too pretty out and too hot." His eyes lingered on her, his gaze intent as he thought to himself 'Pretty and hot.. yeah..' distractedly.
"So.. Who's name did you draw for the 'parenting' thing?" Gabrielle asked as he shrugged and said "Didn't open it." which made her groan and then hold out her hand, waiting. He gave her a look and asked "You didn't get to draw a name?"
She shook her head and said "Bell rang, I was more worried about getting to the pool. Besides, they're going to have a redraw during all the Health class periods tomorrow."
"Yeah."
"So, give it to me. I wanna see."
"Fine, okay." Shane said as he dug through the pocket of his jeans and held out the paper to her. She took it and unwadded it and looked up at him before bursting into laughter. He took the paper and then looked at her, awkwardly biting his lip. "I got your name. I can ask to redraw if you want.."
"No, no.. Don't you dare do that, Morasco. If we redraw, I'll have to draw. Then I'll wind up drawing an idiot like Jack or something. I'm quite content with things as is." Gabrielle said as she grabbed his hand and then said "We're going in this water. I didn't text you to show up so you'd stay dry."
"No."
"Yes."
"Nope, not gonna happen."
"Shane, if you don't get your ass in this pool with me, I will do something to draw attention to you." Gabrielle said with a teasing wink as she grabbed at his leg after having dove into the pool herself. He grumbled and quickly grabbed his nose as she pulled him down. The pair surfaced, Gabrielle scampered on his shoulders which made him blush all over awkwardly.
Destiny watched from the opposite side of the pool and smiled to herself as she shook her head and laughed. It was plain as day to see that the newest girl at Llanview High had it bad for her best friend Shane for whatever reason. Now if only he'd see that.
Shane laughed a little then stopped as he happened to see Jack and his friends whispering, staring at him intently, laughing. "I'm gonna go home."
"What the hell? No, Shane, come on.. Stay?"
"Fine.. But Jack's only going to come over here and be a jerk. Then I'm really going to leave."
"No, Shane, you will not. Because I'll handle Jerk when he comes over." Gabrielle insisted bossily as Shane looked at her and wondered for probably the thousandth time since she'd bulldozed her way into his life and refused to leave him alone, why out of all the guys in Llanview, was it him? Parts of him wanted to get used to it, parts of him didn't dare get used to it.
If he did, sooner or later, she'd leave him behind too. Everyone else had.
"Okay, fine. Are you having fun up there?" he asked her as she gave him a thumbs up and smiled down at him through curtain of long wet dark blonde hair.
